At about the age of eight or nine, I found it disturbing how our book study conductor would talk about the terrible things that worldly people would have to suffer. He spoke with a real condescending and contemptuous tone, while having a kind of a smirk, coupled with a smell under his nose. I actually thought to myself, 'why would jehovah have such a nasty prick as this leading our congregation?' Then I felt bad that I felt this way about an elder. He never changed, and is still the most objectionable and self-righteous person you could ever meet. Of course, as I later took notice, the primary qualification for being an elder is to be a prick. This is why I always held back when I got commended by the 'appointed men'. Thank god I never quite 'reached out' far enough...
Things in the past that show you that your doubts started earlier than you thought
by sabastious 65 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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blondie
I remember the girl, boy, and dog dropping down the crevasse...my mother found it hard to explain it...but then my non-jw friends believed people would burn in hell. My problem was I felt I had to have somewhere else to go...........
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Leolaia
When I was 8 or 9, I questioned at the book study meeting how a resurrected person could REALLY be the same person who died if death is non-existence.
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pirata
When I was younger I had a talk on 1914. While preparing it I was looking up the date of Bablyon's destruction to expand on the date. Darn dictionaries kept saying 587 instead of 607. I was running out of time so I shelved the idea and never thought of it till years later.
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sd-7
I can think of a few things.
The transition from Russell to Rutherford in the early days, as related in the Proclaimers book--that seemed more like something that would happen in a business, not in the Christian congregation.
Some of the study articles sounded like they were guessing, or like they were clearly up to something, though I couldn't necessarily define what it was when I was younger.
Statements about the increase in earthquakes--I used to think, well, didn't the technology to record earthquakes just get discovered this century? Couldn't THAT be the reason for the increase, that we can detect them a lot better than the fellow in the 15th century who could at best, only write about the ones that shook the room?
The Bible itself--the early Christians seemed a lot closer to each other than what I observed amongst Witnesses. The Witnesses seemed more interested in making you afraid to leave, or punishing you if you made a mistake, than anything else. The elders seemed like policemen, or supervisors at work, not like friends or brothers.
But I ignored all that stuff. It all came back as I finally decided to "enter the Neutral Zone" and find out what was going on outside of WT literature and authority.
-sd-7
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Ice cream
About 10 years ago, a 'friend' of mine in my hall was appointed an MS. He hated it, he wasn't interested in reaching out etc, but he didn't want to turn it down. He only lasted a few months they deleted him as an MS, he moved away didn't hear from him again.
In a KH about 10 miles away, a guy was appointed an MS, he was big friends with the PO at the time. It came out that he was abusing the children he gave a lift to on the way to the meetings. It had been going on for a number of years. He was appointed right in the middle of it.
I remember thinking there's no way the 'holy spirit' appoints people. It still took a few years for the wheels to fall off the wagon altogether.
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flipper
SABASTIOUS- Great thread ! Things in my past showed me that I had early doubts about the " last days " or the " generation " doctrine - that Armageddon would come in our generation. I was constantly being told - " you'll never graduate high school in this system ! " or " you'll never get married & have children in this old system ! " Then - As time progressed I DID get married in THIS system. I DID have children in THIS system. Now they are grown in their 20's and I'm in my 50's ! ALL in THIS system. It has totally justified my early doubts about the alleged scary " last days ! " I'm at peace knowing it's all BS and a fear or scare tactic the WT society has used for 130 years now. They'll STILL be using it 50 years from now - IF they are still around. God- I hope not
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XJW4EVR
I don't know when I first began to doubt. I do recall telling my PO father that if "the truth" was indeed true, then no JW should fear other religions or what "apostates" had to say. This was in the middle of the "apostate" witch hunts in the early 80s.
One other event I do recall, is that I once had the No. 2 talk during the Theocratic Ministry School, and my assignment was 1 Corinthians 15:1-33. What struck me, even as a theologically unsophisticated 13 year-old was the simplicity of the gospel as found in verses 3-8 as opposed to the complexity of studying the Live Forever book in order to be sonsidered for JW baptism.
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serenitynow!
As a child I wondered why the WTBS would sell old KHs to churches. I could not understand how they could do business with Christendom, providing them a place to teach falsehood, take their "dirty" money, how a place that taught "the Truth" would now be a church. That's why I never took their counsel about not contributing to orgs like the Salvation Army, or buying girl scout cookies.
I couldn't get over the fact that the religion was so new, yet claimed to be the only true religion.
And all the likening of bible prophecies to themselves. I used to think, "how do they know this?"
I also thought that the reason given for not celebrating birthdays was quite flimsy, and don't get me started on why Thanksgiving was not allowed. Because we give thanks to God every day. That's dumb.
Then as an adult I heard about the practice of writing a letter to let a former spouse be free to remarry. I asked my elder uncle how that was scriptural at all, he said it was, and that he'd get back to me with the details, that was a few years ago.
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sabastious
When I was 8 or 9, I questioned at the book study meeting how a resurrected person could REALLY be the same person who died if death is non-existence.
lol, are you serious? That's is a seriously deep question even for an adult.
8 or 9!
-Sab